The ongoing pandemic has affected us all. While millions have lost lives, the global economy has gone for a toss. While we are living with this nightmare, here comes a film that takes us back to the scary times of recession that hit us all in 2008. Khuda Haafiz starring Vidyut Jammwal and Shivaleeka Oberoi in the lead role and directed by Faruk Kabir has released on Disney+ Hotstar and well, in the hoard of great content coming our way through OTT, this one comes as a disappointment.
The story is about a boy named Sameer Choudhary and a girl named Nargis, settling in the union of marriage as per the wishes of their parents. A typical Bollywood film with some overdramatic dialogues and a romantic song showcasing their love flashes on the screen. And then bam, it is 2008 and recession has taken their jobs. In such times, a fictional country called Noman sounds a lucrative option for the two to travel and earn money. "Noman ke tel ke saamne recession bhi pani nahin mangta" - a dialogue like this is enough to convince the two to leave their well-settled life and travel to a strange country. But here comes the twist. Shivaleeka Oberoi who essays the role of Nargis has to travel to Noman a week prior to her husband. Who knew that a vicious world of flesh trade awaited her? The rest is all about Sameer finding his Nargis.
Though the storyline does not appear to be new or enthralling, what is appalling is the overdone effort by all to get the accent right. With the setup that of an Arabian country, a Pathan cabdriver Usmaan played by Annu Kapoor, two local police officers, Faiz Abu Malik essayed by Shiv Pandit and Tamena Hamid played by Aahana Kumra, coming to the help of Sameer, it becomes more of a distraction that the side characters try really hard to get the accent right. With the experience that Annu Kapoor has, he still manages to be some sort of saving grace.
Coming to the HERO of the film, Vidyut Jammwal lacks the enthusiasm and power he usually carries with his persona in this film. Contrary to his other films, the actor is unable to pack the punch of power he usually does with his action sequences. Though Khuda Hafiz does have the chase and kill sequences as of course, the hero is fighting the dangerous goons to save his wife, it's not on par with Vidyut's already set benchmark of maar-dhaad. Shivaleeka, on the other hand, fairs okay in whatever screen time she has.
Khuda Hafiz gets 2 stars out of five on SpotboyE rating. We'll say Khuda Hafiz and watch it at your own risk.
(Image source:-IMDB)